Police officers stand guard on the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts constructing, forward of listening to appeals from 12 jailed pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, China, on July 14, 2025. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
Political dissent in Hong Kong has been quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping nationwide safety regulation in 2020 after large, generally violent pro-democracy protests the 12 months earlier than.
Many opposition figures have fled overseas, whereas others have been arrested and sentenced to years in jail.
Police stated the 19 activists had been concerned in what they referred to as a “subversive organisation”, Hong Kong Parliament — a pro-democracy NGO established in Canada.
On July 1, Hong Kong Parliament stated on social media that it was holding an unofficial ballot on-line to type a “legislature”, geared toward “opposing one-party dictatorship and tyranny and pursuing Hong Kong individuals ruling Hong Kong”.
In a press release on Friday (July 25, 2025), police accused the group of in search of to “unlawfully overthrow and undermine the elemental system” of the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
The investigation into the organisation is ongoing, the police stated, warning that they “will supply bounties to seek out extra suspects within the case if vital”.
They additionally referred to as on the accused to “return to Hong Kong and switch themselves in, fairly than make additional errors”.
A reward of HK$200,000 ($25,500) every was supplied for 15 of the activists, whereas the 4 others had been already needed for HK$1 million, the assertion stated.
Symbolic bounties
The bounties are seen as largely symbolic on condition that they have an effect on individuals dwelling overseas in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China.
Friday’s (July 25, 2025) announcement is the fourth time the monetary hub’s authorities have supplied rewards for assist capturing these alleged to have violated town’s nationwide safety legal guidelines.
According to the Hong Kong police’s web site, as of Friday (July 25, 2025) there at the moment are 34 individuals needed for nationwide safety offences, together with secession, subversion, or international collusion.
Previous rounds of bounties had been met with intense criticism from Western nations, with Hong Kong and China in flip railing in opposition to international “interference”.
Hong Kong has additionally beforehand cancelled the passports of different pro-democracy activists on its needed listing, underneath its second homegrown nationwide safety regulation enacted in 2024.
As of July 1, authorities had arrested 333 individuals for alleged nationwide safety crimes, with 165 convicted in Hong Kong.
Earlier this month, Hong Kong police arrested 4 individuals, together with a 15-year-old, who had been allegedly a part of a bunch in Taiwan that referred to as for the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party.
This week police stated that they had arrested an 18-year-old for writing “seditious phrases” on a rest room wall in a business constructing.
Published – July 25, 2025 04:40 pm IST
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